Reunited
by SingleDarkShade
Summary: "What are you doing here, Rip?" she asked softly. He swallowed nervously, "I wanted to see you." Pairing Rip Hunter/Miranda Coburn


Author's Note: Written for Rip Week 2019 Day 4: Ship Rip – It's ship day. Romance is in the air. Give us content for Rip and the significant other or others that you'd like to see him with.  
Enjoy

* * *

The rain pounded down, battering on the streets as people rushed to get to their destination. A red umbrella mostly covered the woman as she hurried towards the small house on the corner of the street. Making it inside she shook the water off the umbrella as best she could before dropping it into the stand in the corner. Shedding her coat, she hung it up and headed to the cupboard to get a towel to dry her hair.

Once her hair was dry, Miranda Coburn stared at herself in the mirror hanging on the wall of the tiny hallway of her small house. Today was the fifth anniversary of the day she left the Time Masters…the day she left Rip.

Miranda tried not to think about him too much, even though the occasional dream invaded her sleep. And it was now five years, five years since she'd walked away from everything she had ever known and the man she loved.

But she'd had to do it.

Of the two of them, Miranda knew she was the one who had to leave. Although she had no memory of life before the Time Masters since she'd been raised from a very young age in the Sanctuary by her mother, Miranda knew she would be able to make a life outside of them.

Rip wouldn't. He remembered his life before the Time Masters and believed so much in them. They had rescued him from a horrible situation, one that he wouldn't have survived much longer if Druce hadn't found him.

It broke her heart to walk away, to kiss him goodbye and disappear from his life forever but it was the only choice she'd had. She couldn't stay somewhere that wouldn't let her love, but she couldn't ask him to leave with her. Even though she knew he would have.

Sighing and shaking herself Miranda headed to her kitchen to make dinner.

x

It had surprised Miranda how much she liked her job. After the life she'd trained for she didn't expect to be able to enjoy something so normal, but she did. Working in the museum meant she could use her knowledge of history, but it also let her meet people and to her surprise she liked them. She especially loved working with the school children when they came for trips and workshops. She'd even made friends, which had seemed like an impossible thing when she first started. Friends who were currently badgering her to go on a blind date. She was thinking about it, mostly to get them to stop but also because she knew she had to move on.

A knock on the door surprised her, turning the gas off from beneath the pot she headed to answer it grimacing annoyed as whoever was at her door banged on it several more times.

Yanking the door open, ready to snap at the idiot banging on her door, she froze in astonishment when she saw the man standing there, rain battering down on him.

"Rip?" she breathed.

He was wearing a pair of black denims, grey t-shirt under a brown leather jacket and a long brown duster. His hair was plastered to his head as water ran down his face, while his green eyes were filled with hope also tinged with fear.

He smiled at her whispering, "Hi."

Miranda stared at him wanting to throw her arms around him but couldn't move from her spot.

"I'm getting extremely wet," Rip noted when she didn't say anything for several minutes, "Can I come in?"

Shaking herself Miranda nodded and stepped back letting him in, closing the door behind him. She grabbed the towel off the rack and handed it to him, waiting until he managed to dry himself a little.

"Thanks," Rip handed the towel back to her, standing awkwardly in her hall.

Miranda hung the towel up before turning to the man she loved and had missed so much.

"What are you doing here, Rip?" she asked softly.

He swallowed nervously, "I wanted to see you. I hoped…"

"Rip," Miranda cut him off, "You can't be here, you know that. What if the Council found out? I left so that your career wouldn't be ruined, so that your dream would happen."

"And I'm a Captain now," Rip stepped towards her, "I have my own ship. They won't find out."

Miranda shook her head, "We thought that once before, remember?"

Rip crossed the space between them, "I've missed you."

Closing her eyes as Rip reached out and gently cupped her cheek, Miranda sighed, "I've missed you too, but I left for a reason. I…"

She was cut off when Rip kissed her. Miranda's arms wrapped around him and she let out a moan as he pulled her close. It had been five years since they were last together, five years and time hadn't made how she felt for him diminish or fade. Miranda pulled away suddenly and took several steps back.

"Rip, you have to leave," she told him.

"Miranda…"

Taking his face in her hands, she sighed, "I still love you and I always will, but I left for a reason and that hasn't changed."

"Miranda…"

"You have to go," she told him again, she opened the door, "Now."

He stared at her, the kicked puppy expression covering his face, before he nodded.

"I'll be here for a few days doing some repairs," he whispered, "If you change your mind, or if you want to see the ship I was assigned."

"Goodbye, Rip," Miranda said, closing the door behind him and starting to cry.

* * *

Gideon watched her Captain mope and wished there was something she could do to make him feel better. She had been reluctant to locate Miranda Coburn at first as the Time Masters forbade relationships, but his dreams were almost always of her, and Gideon had calculated that having her in his life would be good for him.

Unfortunately, it had backfired because she hadn't considered Miss Coburn's reaction to him appearing on her doorstep five years later.

If she had been human Gideon would have winced at how he continually slammed his tools on the floor when he finished with each.

"Captain…"

"Not now, Gideon," he barked.

Deciding to leave him for the moment, Gideon knew he would notice he was hungry soon enough. And if he hadn't eaten in two hours then she would ensure he didn't ignore her.

A figure walking towards them caught Gideon's attention. Due to the cloak and the disruptor field she had around the ship, which would encourage people to just avoid the area, the fact the person wearing a dark coat with a hood covering their face was walking directly to the ship concerned her. Before Gideon could warn her Captain there could possibly be an intruder, a signal reached her.

"Rip," the woman's voice came, annoyance filling it, "Open the damn door right now."

From the records Gideon recognised the woman to be Miranda Coburn so lowered the cargo bay door allowing her inside.

"Captain, you have a visitor," Gideon spoke up just before Miranda marched into the engine room.

"Miranda?" he staggered to his feet before frowning, "Gideon, we'll talk about this later."

x

Rip stared confused that Miranda was standing there when several hours before she'd told him to leave.

"What gives you the right to appear from nowhere?" she yelled at him, "It's been five years, Rip. Five years and I have a life, I have a job, I have friends then you just waltz in. Did you think I would be sitting around pining for you?"

"I just wanted to see you again," Rip said softly.

Miranda shook her head, throwing the locator at his head, "And despite the fact I told you to go, you left this?"

Rip rubbed his forehead where she clocked him with the small black box, "I just…"

"What?" she snapped when he trailed off, "What did you just?"

Everything he wanted to say, everything he felt for her stuck in his throat and he stared at her dumbly. Frustrated Miranda threw her arms in the air, walking away and left him standing.

"Gideon?" Rip said quietly.

"She has not left the ship, Captain," Gideon assured him, "I however advise allowing her time to calm down and perhaps ensuring you can answer Miss Coburn's questions before you try to speak with her again."

Rip nodded.

"I shall take care of Miss Coburn," Gideon continued.

"I can always count on you, Gideon."

x

Miranda marched through the ship, not examining why she wasn't heading home.

"Would you like something to drink, Miss Coburn?" the AI asked as Miranda stepped into the galley.

"Thank you," Miranda said softly, "Gideon, right?"

"Yes," Gideon replied, "What can I get for you?"

"Tea, no milk, one sugar," Miranda stated, smiling slightly as it appeared before her, "I forgot how good it was to not have to wait for the kettle to boil."

Taking a seat Miranda sighed, a moment passed and she frowned, "Hold on, this is the Waverider."

"Yes, Miss Coburn," Gideon replied, "Captain Hunter requested the Waverider specifically when asked which ship he wanted as top of his class."

An amused smile touched her lips, "Because this is the ship I wanted."

"Captain Hunter was extremely excited to see you again after I confirmed I had found you," Gideon told her, "I apologise that I did not advise him to call ahead."

Miranda sighed before demanding, "Why did you find me? You know the reason I left the Time Masters, you know how dangerous it is for us to be together and if they ever found out what would happen."

"Captain Hunter will be better with you in his life," Gideon stated.

Miranda frowned, "What do you mean?"

"My priority is the wellbeing of my Captain," Gideon told her, "Captain Hunter will ensure he takes better care of himself and will be less reckless if he knows that there is someone waiting for him to finish his missions."

"But what about the council?"

"I can ensure that they would be unaware of your presence in Captain Hunter's life," Gideon assured her, "As well as any time he spends with you."

Miranda closed her eyes.

"If Gideon says she can do that, I believe her," Rip's soft voice made her turn to find him standing in the doorway.

x

Rip took several deep breaths before he stepped into the galley. He was desperate to persuade her to let them be together once more. Just seeing her again brought back how much he missed her and how he was better with her in his life.

"If Gideon says she can do that, I believe her," Rip spoke up making Miranda turn to him.

She sighed, "Rip…"

"Since you left, I have thought about you every day," Rip told her, "I know you've made a life here, Miranda and I didn't want to disrupt that but..."

"But what, Rip?"

He took a few steps towards her, "I don't want to live without you again. And I will leave the Time Masters if it's the only way."

"Captain?"

"I'm sorry, Gideon," Rip said shaking his head, "I can't be without Miranda again, I won't," he looked at her, "If you'll have me."

Letting out a soft sigh, Miranda moved and wrapped her arms around him. Rip held onto her tightly.

"Please don't make me watch you walk away from me again," Rip begged.

Miranda sighed softly in his ear, "If you promise me that you're sure the council will never find out."

He pulled back to look into her eyes, "Gideon says she can make sure they will never know, and she has never steered me wrong. Even if she gloats when I don't listen to her and things go wrong."

Miranda chuckled.

"I love you," Rip told her, "I have loved you from the moment you walked into my life, even if I had no idea and acted like an idiot."

"I love you too," Miranda whispered.

Rip brushed his lips against hers, "Then say yes. Say we can be together."

Miranda tightened her arms around him, "Considering Gideon believes us being together will make you less reckless, I don't think I have a choice if I want you to be safe."

Before he could scold his AI, Rip found Miranda's lips on his in a deep kiss.

"How long are you here for?" she murmured when they parted.

Rip smiled, "A few days. I told control I needed to do some repairs."

"And do you?"

He shrugged, "I may have exaggerated the time needed."

Chuckling Miranda took his hand, leading him out of the galley, "Then I should make the most of the time you're here."


End file.
